Optical cavity emitter arrangements with spectral alignment and methods therefor

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure are directed to optical microcavities and emitters that are spectrally aligned in an arrangement having an array of such microcavity-emitter combinations. The spectral alignment can be selective, in that a portion of the array of microcavity-emitter combinations, or a single microcavity-emitter combination, can be individually spectrally aligned. In specific examples, light is coupled within a semiconductor device having wavelength-dependent structures and optical cavities optically couple to the wavelength-dependent structures. One of the optical cavities and a wavelength-dependent structure are spectrally aligned, independent of another of the optical cavities.

1. A method for coupling light within an optical device having wavelength-dependent structures and optical cavities for optically coupling to the wavelength-dependent structures, the method comprising spectrally aligning one of the optical cavities and a wavelength-dependent structure independent of another of the optical cavities. 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein spectrally aligning includes selectively applying heat to the device to spectrally align the operating wavelengths of the cavity and the wavelength-dependent structure. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein spectrally aligning includes selectively applying local strain to the device to spectrally align the operating wavelengths of the cavity and the wavelength-dependent structure. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein spectrally aligning includes shifting the operating wavelength of the cavity to spectrally align the operating wavelength of the cavity with an operating wavelength of the wavelength-dependent structure. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein spectrally aligning includes shifting the operating wavelength of the wavelength-dependent structure to spectrally align the operating wavelength of the wavelength-dependent structure with the operating wavelength of the cavity. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein spectrally aligning includes shifting the operating wavelength of both the cavity and the wavelength-dependent structure to spectrally align the operating wavelengths of the cavity and the wavelength-dependent structure. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , further including,
 after the step of spectrally aligning, de-aligning the spectrally aligned cavity and wavelength-dependent structure, and 
 after the step of de-aligning, spectrally aligning one of the optical cavities and a wavelength-dependent structure independent of another of the optical cavities. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein spectrally aligning includes spectrally aligning a single optical cavity region with a wavelength-dependent structure, independently from the spectral alignment of other cavity regions with other wavelength-dependent structures in the device. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein spectrally aligning one of the optical cavities and a wavelength-dependent structure independent of another of the optical cavities includes independently spectrally aligning at least two optical cavities in the structure respectively with at least two wavelength-dependent structures. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , further including
 detecting a change in frequency of the resonance of an optical cavity, and 
 using the detected change in frequency to determine an operating characteristic of the device. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , wherein spectrally aligning includes applying a stimulus selected from the group of: an electrical stimulus, an optical stimulus, a heat stimulus and a physical strain stimulus. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1 , further including
 detecting a change in frequency of the resonance of a spectrally-aligned one of the optical cavities, and 
 using the detected change in frequency to determine a change in the refractive index of the device. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the wavelength-dependent structure is an emitter and wherein spectrally aligning includes shifting the emission wavelength of the emitter, further including
 directing laser light to the one of the optical cavities, the laser light being tuned into resonance with the cavity, 
 applying an oscillatory heating signal to the cavity, 
 detecting laser light that is reflected from the cavity, and 
 using the detected reflected laser light to characterize an interaction between the emitter and an optical field of the cavity. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the device has an array of optical cavity regions, each region including one of the optical cavities and one of the wavelength-dependent structures, wherein spectrally aligning includes individually spectrally aligning the optical cavity and the wavelength-dependent structure in each of a plurality of the optical cavity regions. 
     
     
       15. An optical semiconductor device comprising:
 wavelength-dependent structures; 
 optical semiconductor cavities for optically coupling to the wavelength-dependent structures; and 
 a spectral alignment arrangement for spectrally aligning one of the optical cavities and a wavelength-dependent structure independent of another of the optical cavities. 
 
     
     
       16. The device of  claim 15 , wherein the spectral alignment arrangement selectively applies heat to the device to spectrally align operating wavelengths of the cavity and the wavelength-dependent structure. 
     
     
       17. The device of  claim 15 , wherein the spectral alignment arrangement selectively applies strain to the device to spectrally align operating wavelengths of the cavity and the wavelength-dependent structure. 
     
     
       18. The device of  claim 15 , wherein the spectral alignment arrangement selectively shifts an operating wavelength of the cavity to spectrally align the operating wavelength of the cavity with an operating wavelength of the wavelength-dependent structure. 
     
     
       19. The device of  claim 15 , wherein the spectral alignment arrangement selectively shifts an operating wavelength of the wavelength-dependent structure to spectrally align the operating wavelength of the wavelength-dependent structure with an operating wavelength of the cavity. 
     
     
       20. The device of  claim 15 , wherein the spectral alignment arrangement selectively shifts an operating wavelength of both the cavity and the wavelength-dependent structure to spectrally align the operating wavelengths of the cavity and the wavelength-dependent structure. 
     
     
       21. The device of  claim 15 , further including, for each cavity, a heating pad to facilitate the application of heat to facilitate said spectrally aligning. 
     
     
       22. The device of  claim 15 , further including, for each cavity, a heating pad to facilitate the application of heat to facilitate said spectrally aligning in response to laser light. 
     
     
       23. The device of  claim 15 , further including, for each cavity, a heating pad to facilitate the application of heat to facilitate said spectrally aligning in response to an electrical current across the heating pad. 
     
     
       24. The device of  claim 15 , further including thermal insulation to thermally insulate the cavities from one another. 
     
     
       25. The device of  claim 15 , wherein the spectral alignment arrangement is adapted to spectrally align a single optical cavity and wavelength-dependent structure in the device, independent from all of the other optical cavities in the device. 
     
     
       26. The device of  claim 15 , wherein the spectral alignment arrangement is adapted to spectrally align and de-align said one of the optical cavities and a wavelength-dependent structure independent of another of the optical cavities. 
     
     
       27. The device of  claim 15 , further including an optical detector to detect a light from the spectrally aligned optical cavity. 
     
     
       28. The device of  claim 15 , further including an optical detector to detect a light from the spectrally aligned optical cavity, the optical detector being adapted to detect light having a particular wavelength, wherein the spectral alignment arrangement spectrally aligns said one of the optical cavities and a wavelength-dependent structure to operate at the particular wavelength that the optical detector is adapted to detect. 
     
     
       29. The device of  claim 15 , further including fabricated pads adjacent to the optical semiconductor cavities to apply control stimulus to the cavities. 
     
     
       30. An optical quantum information processing arrangement with reconfigurable integrated optical circuits, the arrangement comprising:
 a plurality of optical circuits, each circuit including an emitter and an optical cavity that selectively passes light as a function of the wavelength of the light; 
 a spectral alignment arrangement to spectrally align individual ones of the optical circuits, independently from the spectral alignment of other ones of the optical circuits by, for each of the optical circuits, temporarily shifting at least one of
 the wavelength at which the cavity passes light, and 
 the wavelength at which the emitter emits light; and 
 
 a detector to detect light from the temporarily spectrally-aligned optical circuits and to output a signal characterizing the detected light to facilitate at least one of quantum or optical information processing. 
 
     
     
       31. The arrangement of  claim 30 , wherein the optical circuits include reconfigurable photonic integrated circuits for at least one of optical communications or optical interconnect applications.